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Julen Lopetegui insists he would have used Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid this season, despite giving the teenager limited opportunities when he was in charge.

The highly rated Brazilian arrived at Madrid from Flamengo ahead of the 2018-19 campaign and was tipped to help fill the void left by departing great Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Vinicius played just 12 minutes across two substitute appearances in LaLiga before Lopetegui was sacked at the end of October, having himself endured a tough start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius has subsequently established himself as a star man, scoring against Real Valladolid and Deportivo Alaves.

While some have wondered if Vinicius would have had the same impact had Lopetegui kept his job, the former Spain coach is adamant he was simply biding his time with the winger.

"Vinicius was in a period of adaptation and the time factor was very important," Lopetegui told El Partidazo.

"He was going to play because seasons last 10 months and not a month and a half. It is evident that he is a player who was in our plans.

"In the future, he would have played with us and there is no doubt he has a great future ahead of him."

Lopetegui endured a difficult 2018 as his agreement to join Madrid on the eve of the World Cup saw him sacked as Spain boss, before he departed the European champions less than five months later.

But the coach says he was glad to have the opportunity to lead two footballing heavyweights and hopes to grow from the experience.

"I had two extraordinary experiences as a coach and I enjoyed it a lot," he said. "We arrived at the World Cup very well prepared.

"At Madrid, it didn't last as long as we wanted. But there are situations that make you stronger and give you thicker skin."

Bernardo Silva believes Manchester City will take a significant stride towards becoming serial winners if they overcome Chelsea in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.

City won the trophy last season after beating Arsenal 3-0 in the final, as well as getting their hands on a third Premier League title.

The club are yet to retain a trophy in their history – something Silva wants to see corrected against Maurizio Sarri's side at Wembley.

"It would mean a lot for the history of the club," he said.

"That is one of our main goals: not only winning it once but keep winning and winning.

"We know we have the squad to do that but our opponents are very strong and it won't be an easy job."

City thumped Chelsea in the Premier League 6-0 less than a fortnight ago, but Silva insists it will be a far tougher game this time around.

"We should forget that match because it won't happen again," he added.

"We are not expecting the same result. We are playing against one of the best sides in the world, even though lately their results are not the best for them.

"Against those kind of players you can never relax and if you give them time to think, time to play and time to decide [what to do], they will destroy you. So, we have to play with the same intensity."

Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta is "very optimistic" Diego Godin will join the Nerazzurri from Atletico Madrid when his contract expires in June.

Uruguay defender Godin is into the final months of his contract at Atleti, where he has played since signing from Villarreal in 2010, winning the LaLiga title in 2013-14 and twice reaching the Champions League final.

The 33-year-old has consistently been linked with Inter in recent months and Marotta has not been shy in talking up a potential move.

And the Inter CEO suggested on Thursday that official confirmation of a deal may not be far away, adding that he enjoyed seeing Godin score a crucial goal against Juventus in a Champions League last 16 first-leg clash on Wednesday.

"I am happy," Marotta told Sky Sport Italia of the deal. "We are at a very advanced stage in negotiations.

"It was nice to see Godin score yesterday. As for the rest, let's just say that I am very optimistic and believe that we'll be able to make an official announcement pretty soon."

Inter have a wealth of central defensive options, including Godin's former Atleti team-mate Miranda.